CATEGORIES

Communication breakdown

by reestheskin on 13/11/2017

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Nevertheless, recent reviews find little evidence that cancer patients benefit after clinicians are taught communication.9, 14-16 Although training can change clinicians’ communication, for instance by increasing open questions or empathic statements, effects on patients’ satisfaction, well-being or clinical outcomes have proved elusive. The reviews’ authors recommend improved research designs in a continued effort to show that training does help patients. However, there are concerns that expert guidance on communication is often unrealistic,17-21 and many clinicians and students remain sceptical of it.11, 20, 22-31 Moreover, social scientists have challenged assumptions on which communication education and guidance in cancer and across health care are based.32-34

reestheskin.me

reestheskin.me is mainly about education and medicine, and how these domains intersect. I think Roger Schank has it spot on when he says: ‘There are only two things wrong with the education system (i) what we teach and (ii) how we teach it'.